Luke 14

1 One Sabbath Jesus went to eat a meal at the home of one of the leading Pharisees; and people were watching Jesus closely.

2 A man whose legs and arms were swollen came to Jesus,

3 and Jesus spoke up and asked the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, "Does our Law allow healing on the Sabbath or not?"

4 But they would not say a thing. Jesus took the man, healed him, and sent him away.

5 Then he said to them, "If any one of you had a child or an ox that happened to fall in a well on a Sabbath, would you not pull it out at once on the Sabbath itself?" ¹

6 But they were not able to answer him about this.

7 Jesus noticed how some of the guests were choosing the best places, so he told this parable to all of them:

8 "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place. It could happen that someone more important than you has been invited, ²

9 and your host, who invited both of you, would have to come and say to you, "Let him have this place.' Then you would be embarrassed and have to sit in the lowest place.

10 Instead, when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that your host will come to you and say, "Come on up, my friend, to a better place.' This will bring you honor in the presence of all the other guests.

11 For those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great." ³

12 Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors - for they will invite you back, and in this way you will be paid for what you did.

13 When you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind;

14 and you will be blessed, because they are not able to pay you back. God will repay you on the day the good people rise from death."

15 When one of the guests sitting at the table heard this, he said to Jesus, "How happy are those who will sit down at the feast in the Kingdom of God!"

16 Jesus said to him, "There was once a man who was giving a great feast to which he invited many people.

17 When it was time for the feast, he sent his servant to tell his guests, "Come, everything is ready!'

18 But they all began, one after another, to make excuses. The first one told the servant, "I have bought a field and must go and look at it; please accept my apologies.'

19 Another one said, "I have bought five pairs of oxen and am on my way to try them out; please accept my apologies.'

20 Another one said, "I have just gotten married, and for that reason I cannot come.'

21 The servant went back and told all this to his master. The master was furious and said to his servant, "Hurry out to the streets and alleys of the town, and bring back the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.'

22 Soon the servant said, "Your order has been carried out, sir, but there is room for more.'

23 So the master said to the servant, "Go out to the country roads and lanes and make people come in, so that my house will be full.

24 I tell you all that none of those who were invited will taste my dinner!' "

25 Once when large crowds of people were going along with Jesus, he turned and said to them,

26 "Those who come to me cannot be my disciples unless they love me more than they love father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and themselves as well. ⁴

27 Those who do not carry their own cross and come after me cannot be my disciples. ⁵

28 If one of you is planning to build a tower, you sit down first and figure out what it will cost, to see if you have enough money to finish the job.

29 If you don't, you will not be able to finish the tower after laying the foundation; and all who see what happened will make fun of you.

30 "You began to build but can't finish the job!' they will say.

31 If a king goes out with ten thousand men to fight another king who comes against him with twenty thousand men, he will sit down first and decide if he is strong enough to face that other king.

32 If he isn't, he will send messengers to meet the other king to ask for terms of peace while he is still a long way off.

33 In the same way," concluded Jesus, "none of you can be my disciple unless you give up everything you have.

34 "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, there is no way to make it salty again.

35 It is no good for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown away. Listen, then, if you have ears!"

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Luke 14 Commentary

Chapter 14

Christ heals a man on the sabbath. (1-6) He teaches humility. (7-14) Parable of the great supper. (15-24) The necessity of consideration and self-denial. (25-35)

Verses 1-6 This Pharisee, as well as others, seems to have had an ill design in entertaining Jesus at his house. But our Lord would not be hindered from healing a man, though he knew a clamour would be raised at his doing it on the sabbath. It requires care to understand the proper connexion between piety and charity in observing the sabbath, and the distinction between works of real necessity and habits of self-indulgence. Wisdom from above, teaches patient perseverance in well-doing.

Verses 7-14 Even in the common actions of life, Christ marks what we do, not only in our religious assemblies, but at our tables. We see in many cases, that a man's pride will bring him low, and before honour is humility. Our Saviour here teaches, that works of charity are better than works of show. But our Lord did not mean that a proud and unbelieving liberality should be rewarded, but that his precept of doing good to the poor and afflicted should be observed from love to him.

Verses 15-24 In this parable observe the free grace and mercy of God shining in the gospel of Christ, which will be food and a feast for the soul of a man that knows its own wants and miseries. All found some pretence to put off their attendance. This reproves the Jewish nation for their neglect of the offers of Christ's grace. It shows also the backwardness there is to close with the gospel call. The want of gratitude in those who slight gospel offers, and the contempt put upon the God of heaven thereby, justly provoke him. The apostles were to turn to the Gentiles, when the Jews refused the offer; and with them the church was filled. The provision made for precious souls in the gospel of Christ, has not been made in vain; for if some reject, others will thankfully accept the offer. The very poor and low in the world, shall be as welcome to Christ as the rich and great; and many times the gospel has the greatest success among those that labour under worldly disadvantages and bodily infirmities. Christ's house shall at last be filled; it will be so when the number of the elect is completed.

Verses 25-35 Though the disciples of Christ are not all crucified, yet they all bear their cross, and must bear it in the way of duty. Jesus bids them count upon it, and then consider of it. Our Saviour explains this by two similitudes; the former showing that we must consider the expenses of our religion; the latter, that we must consider the perils of it. Sit down and count the cost; consider it will cost the mortifying of sin, even the most beloved lusts. The proudest and most daring sinner cannot stand against God, for who knows the power of his anger? It is our interest to seek peace with him, and we need not send to ask conditions of peace, they are offered to us, and are highly to our advantage. In some way a disciple of Christ will be put to the trial. May we seek to be disciples indeed, and be careful not to grow slack in our profession, or afraid of the cross; that we may be the good salt of the earth, to season those around us with the savour of Christ.